This invention relates to bats and will have application to a composite baseball bat.
Baseball and softball bats are currently formed of a single piece of turned wood or of cast aluminum. My U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,251 shows a three-piece bat with the individual sections connected by adhesive-filled finger joints.
The predominant bat in organized amateur baseball leagues is made of aluminum. Only wood bats may be used in the professional leagues, both in the minor leagues all the way up to the major leagues. Aluminum bats are used in amateur baseball because of their durability and hitting power.
Unfortunately, the aspiring professional baseball player who attempts to make the transition from the aluminum to the wood bat is often disillusioned. Because of the expanded sweet spot of the aluminum bat, more balls are hit hard than with the traditional wood bat. Also, the relative softness of the wood bat makes the ball spin more than the aluminum bat, which often turns a potential extra base hit into a disappointing foul ball. As a result, many fine hitters, considered good major league prospects in amateur baseball become poor or ordinary hitters when forced to use the wood bat. In many cases, this is due not to an erosion of ability, but an erosion of the player's confidence.